A review by booksrockcal
Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I don’t usually read series books out of order, but i found this on a San Diego Public Library list of mysteries set during Christmas and decided to give it a try, as last Christmas I read another book by the author focused on the holidays and i was not too lost with the characters. This book stars well known detective Agatha Raisin (apparently she has a tv show too) who lives in the Cotswolds and runs a detective agency. In this book, a wealthy widow hires Agatha because she’s convinced a member of her family is trying to kill her- then the widow drops dead after high tea at her manor house. Agatha sets out to find the murderer (along with the police) while  managing all the members of her detective agency including a new teenaged trainee. Agatha cracks the case and a few others along the way. The characters and the village and the story epitomize the genre of cozy mystery although most of the Christmas focus was saved for the end- it was not an integral part of the story. That was a bit disappointing but still this was a nice light read for the holidays.